Fiction and Reality
by Sieg Leonhart
Summary: Lucy's point of view about living in fantasy and withstanding reality.


**It's been really long since last time I wrote something for this site. Well... I had an idea I considered interesting and decided to put it on paper/screen so here it goes.**

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**Due to the increased number of NaLu moments in the manga and anime, this will officially be the last GraLu fic I write. NaLu is almost cannon by now. It doesn't mean I support it.**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

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_No mountain nor sea._

_No thing of this world could keep us apart._

At night, when everything seemed to lay to rest, and her memories consumed her, a new page emerged, and another night was spent without a single minute of peace.

Lucy could almost taste the bitterness of the feelings she described in such a unique way. Her first book wasn't a success due to some deviations in the latter chapters. A failure, expected, but still painful. She knew her best efforts wouldn't be enough to keep the lively emotions she had transmitted in her previous content.

_A writer should be able to capture and emit every single emotion in the paper._

With that in mind, Lucy's new work was a best seller. Its genre was tragedy regardless to say, nothing else would come out no matter how hard she pushed herself, it always ended as useless and foolish attempts to cope with her own _**loss**_.

She insisted in deceiving herself, denying the cruelty of the situation. She wasn't ready, and she doubted she would ever be. She had a mission, a plan and an unexpected twist of fate waiting for her.

Team Natsu was given a horrifying task. Dragon slaying demanded strength, intelligence, but above all, courage. As the mentioned team held two of the most powerful dragon slayers in Fiore, it was only natural for it to receive a request of this caliber.

_Fiction is often a great escape route from reality. However, illusion tends to come along. _

The trip was tiring, but the battle to come would be at least ten times worse. Truth was that even after confronting those enormous creatures before, the sight of their wings spreading widely and the wild fire coming out of their mouths still caused a paralyzing fear to most of Fairy Tail.

Natsu took the lead and rushed in the fray of combat. His natural fast forward instincts were reckless but inspiring at the same time. He dodged incoming fire balls with ease causing the dragon to lock his attention at the fire mage. Wendy maneuvered around the beast trying to break its concentration with fast wind based attacks. Gray focused on protecting his team mates from the flames spit in their direction while Erza assisted Natsu in his desperate assault. Lucy and Gemini slowly gathered energy from a safe spot preparing what would be a decisive strike. Urano Metria.

_While reading a book one may go through several kinds of different feelings, ones comforting others devastating._

A well planned attack indeed, if not for one simple fact. Their enemy was highly underestimated. People started assuming Fairy Tail's strongest team consisted of immortals.

With a swift move of its tail, the giant lizard sent Natsu flying against a formation of rocks. They fought in a valley where they were told about a dragon's nest. Natsu winced in pain raising a hand to his chest, an ineffective way of enduring the pain. A flame barrage was already aimed to the salamander, but Wendy collided her dragon's roar against it. The girl started to show signs of fatigue and her force slowly faded leaving her in a very vulnerable position.

In the last minute a thick wall of pure crystalline ice appeared before the slayers blocking the attack long enough for Erza to rescue her friends.

The confront lasted hours and the exhaustion was overwhelming, but members of Fairy Tail would never flee from the fight. Needless to say, it wasn't their smartest decision.

_Reading the same sentence twice won't change its meaning, what is done is__done, just like reality._

When Lucy gave the approving signal for her team to leave their position, they replied shortly getting as far as possible from the scene. Lucy fell in a state of trance, in which she went on to chant out the spell's incantation. This prompted the area around her target to become full of star-like lights, followed shortly after by a dark blanket reminiscent of a night sky. All of the star-like lights exploded at the same time.

A huge area was completely obliterated with the force of the spell. Dust was present making it hard to understand the outcome of what they believed to be a success.

Lucy dropped to her knees feeling her legs losing strength. She panted heavily finding it hard to accept what she witnessed.

_One may seek refuge in a book to escape from life, but the book offers the reader everything but control over the plot, in life, the plot depends only on individual will._

The monster was still standing when the curtain of dust was blown by Wendy's wind. Surprise and realization downed on the mages. A dragon can only be defeated by a dragon slayer, it was just common sense.

From this point onwards, the battle became unfairly one sided. With a broken, it was nearly impossible for the body to react properly. The plan was a failure leaving frightened mages struggling to keep alive.

It was useless, despite all the hard working; the obstacle was too high for their tiny existence to overcome it.

Night descended, the cold air filled with melancholy enchanted the lonely valley with sorrow announcing a path with no return. The dragon lost sight of the mages postponing the inevitable.

"_Not yet… I won't let it end like this," _Natsu refused to let his will be shaken, even though his limbs clearly ignored every order his brain processed. Down to the floor, he cursed his own flesh for the lack of energy.

Throughout his years in Fairy Tail, he never felt so incapable. His friends were right there at the verge of death and there was absolutely nothing he could do to avoid it.

Wendy was unconscious and Erza crawled towards the petite in order to assure her safety. _"Pathetic! Is this as far as you can go? Get back on your feet," her thoughts were almost pitiful. She knew what had to be done, but how could she in such a decayed state._

_A happy ending is always the safest route for a greater acceptance, but a tragic ending may mark its readers and perpetuate the story in their memories._

_Lucy lied on her back besides Gray searching inside herself the resolve to change her future. She _never imagined her death coming so early in her life. The ice mage stared at the sky as if embracing his fate. For a moment, Lucy could swear she saw him smiling.

"It's almost funny… how death can make us feel so small and yet so bold," Gray pushed his body out of the floor with extreme difficulty. Only then Lucy noticed, his left arm was missing and in its place a cap of ice covered replacing his limb and preventing further bleeding.

The sight was terrifying; Lucy couldn't understand how in the world Gray could still move even after the tremendous beating he went through.

"Gray!" Her voice was soft yet demanding. "What can you do alone? It's too strong…"

The boy chuckled with a tired expression. "I've got a plan."

"A plan? You must be kidding me," replied the blonde in disbelief.

"Don't worry. I'm sure this will work…" after a brief pause in which Lucy carefully examined Gray's face, he continued, "it has to."

_A book has a story written with a pre-defined beginning and an end. While reading it, one can only wait to see what happens. No matter how cruel or dissatisfactory it may be, it simply won't change._

"Natsu! If you can hear me, man up and stand!" Natsu felt the taunt and was already moving before he realized the piercing sting in his chest. His spirit was renewed, but his body's shape was far from recovered.

"I'm right here…" he replied deciding to ignore his friend's missing arm.

Meanwhile, noisy footsteps sounded around the valley. The dragon was nearing their location, soon enough they'd be ambushed once again.

"I'll climb up that rock and lure its attention…" Gray pointed the strategic spot earning a disapproving look from the blonde behind him. Unaware of his speech's effects, he proceeded to explain the next step. "Our fight with that thing created a large fissure right there. Hide inside it and wait for the dragon to cross it. Once you can see its belly, attack it with full power."

"Do you think its belly is its weak spot?" Natsu reasoned.

"Let's hope it is."

_Words do have a strong power of changing people, being it written or spoken; they should be chosen and used wisely._

With that, Gray pulled himself over the rock with his remaining arm. Erza and Lucy watched the ice mage in his unwise attempt to protect them. They could see Natsu walking towards the fissure; eyes half closed and breathing almost none existent.

Those were Fairy Tail's mage. A rush of adrenaline invaded Erza's blood sending her back on her previous stance. Lucy's hands clenched in fists, anger boiled inside her. She was always the image of fragility and constantly relied on her friends to solve the fight for her. Her eyes watered when her body refused to move, yet she pushed herself beyond her limits rising to her feet.

"_This is suicide…" _Gray's heart trembled in anticipation. He could sense his life escaping as the dragon approached.

"Gray! Get yourself together, we don't need a dead bait," Natsu exclaimed from the fissure.

Back to awareness, Gray regained his composure and started casting an ice magic. "Listen up! I'll throw as many lances as my remaining magic power allows me. That should keep him busy and create an opening for a clear attack."

Natsu nodded in response, and soon the icy aura was surrounding its caster. Gray was engulfed in a strong mist, the concentration of magic wasn't strong, but it was never this intense.

It wasn't hard for the dragon to catch the sight of the bluish figure standing in top of a big rock. His prey was waiting for him without resistance. Diving for the kill, the dragon rushed in full speed.

Gray took a long breath before facing the enemy once more. Natsu's arm was already surrounded by raging fire. Erza had several swords directed at the huge creature whereas Lucy seemed to be standing still. Something was different in her gaze, as if she found herself wondering about a specific situation.

Her eyes snapped wide open in horror. "Don't do this, you idiot!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, tears of anger and sadness already streaming down her cheeks.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Erza asked worried about the girl's sudden reaction, Natsu shared the same concern, but still, they had to pay attention to the speeding dragon closing in.

Lucy began racing to the point where Gray prepared his attack. All her bruises and wounds were not enough to stop her from ending the desperate act Gray was about to perform.

As if the valley was the safest place to run around, the blonde ran barely avoiding countless fire balls which missed by mere meters.

"He has to use both hands to realize all his magic, except for one," she shouted driving a wave of an unknown feeling through the whole place.

Erza and Natsu turned their heads in time to catch Gray with a single arm stretched in front of him giving away his hidden intention.

"I'm sorry…" his words left in a low tone.

_Those few remaining words in the last chapter are the source of everlasting hope. Everything can change in that short period._

Lucy summoned Taurus in between her hurried steps. The bull didn't even need to wait for further explanations; he lowered his axe permitting Lucy to hop on the giant weapon. She boarded the improvised catapult and with ridiculous force, Taurus launched her high in the air flying in amazing velocity.

Gray's lips moved to transmute his matter into ice with the needed words to complete the spell.

Time seemed to move in a reduced pace. Gray could not believe what he was seeing, but decided to save his friends at the cost of his life, he didn't falter in releasing the chant.

"Ice…"

It sounded like poison to Lucy. Her friend was about to sacrifice his life. She hoped the impulse she took from Taurus' throw would be enough to reach Gray in time.

_This is real. I won't dive into fantasies and fairy tales anymore. My life is right here and now, and unlike a book, I'm the ruler, not just a spectator. I decide, I'm in control; I will not keep turning the pages expecting for the better. I can__do something for a change._

"_Just a little further!" _She extended her arm for a greater range, but it was in vain. She still had a long way until she could neutralize the boy.

The ice started to merge with Gray's body, his flesh slowly turning into ice dust. After all, her determination would be worthless.

"Faster!" A feminine voice echoed. "Fly!"

The speed increased making Lucy move as fast as a bolt. The blonde could only wonder how in the world she became so fast.

Far below, the little dragon slayer gathered all her magic in a harmless dragon roar, giving Lucy an extra pulse.

"You won't," she cried.

"…shell."

A flash of blue blinded the three remaining mages who could only wish Lucy's take off would have one more passenger when it was time for the landing.

Erza turned her attention to the dragon once more. It was far too close. It was not the time to be inattentive about her opponent. Natsu stared at the sky in time to catch the huge passerby. With a blurry vision, he applied an enraged punch in the beast's belly. The dragon came to a halt gasping for air. Intensifying the flames in his arm, Natsu started to burn until his whole body was engulfed in vivid flames.

With a flap of its wings, the dragon sent Natsu back to the ground. The mage shocked with the hard floor instantly losing his consciousness.

The lizard landed ready to devour the defenseless salamander, but Erza dug one of her blades deep inside its tail imprisoning as the sword became stuck on the ground. The dragon turned to face Erza who contemplated the magnificent size of her enemy. However, something alarmed her when the atmosphere became cold freezing everything around them. The dragon's feet became slower, the rest of its body following to have the same treatment.

"_No…" her thoughts were calm, but she gradually lost her cool turning them insane, "no, no, no, no!" _

The frost figure was almost beautiful if not for the price it took. Erza held back her tears as long as she managed. Looking at the immense sculpture, her heart tightened and agony invaded her.

It got worse when the ice cracked before shattering in tiny fragments. She forced herself to endure seeing her friend's last resort move being in vain, but it was visually asking too much. The dragon was free.

"Shattering light: Sky drill!" With whirlwinds moving around her arms, Wendy shot a wind barrage hitting the target and opening a hole in its belly as consequence.

Erza gasped in awe. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. Nevertheless, through recently created void space it was possible to glance at the ice maker lying with Lucy on top of him. The red-head was mesmerized to say the least.

The corpse fell freely at her side causing a slight earthquake. She stood and had her way around the dragon still finding it hard to accept what she saw.

"What… is happening? Are you two, ok?" She joined them unaware of the intimacy she'd just interrupted.

Lucy stiffed at the sound of Erza's voice and quickly removed her hands from the boy's chest. Their faces were inches away by then, but the urgent movement left an almost invisible trail of saliva connecting their lips.

"Don't g-give me that f-face…" she reasoned feeling her words abandoning her. "I had to prevent him from speaking," continued the blonde in a much shyer manner, her cheeks burning with the incoming heat.

Erza couldn't help but laugh at her friend's fidgeting. "I was so worried about your well-being and look what I find," she responded with a tender smile.

"I already said, I did it to stop him!" Lucy closed her eyes tightly in indignation, her mouth turning into a pout.

"Of course you did," Wendy tried to cheer for the blonde, but her words were misinterpreted.

"Will you start too? Enough with the sarcasm," a confused Wendy brought a thin finger to her cheek.

"More importantly, how did you freeze the dragon?" Erza questioned.

"Well… about that," Lucy scratched her hair feeling embarrassed.

"It seems someone jumped to conclusions a minute ago," Gray added. "I _can_use magic with just one hand, but it won't be as effective. That's why the dragon broke free so easily," Gray explained showing a track of spiky ice on the ground leading to where the dragon was.

"You don't have to make me look like a silly girl," a blushing Lucy retorted.

Apparently, they forgot their current position. Lucy was still straddling the ice mage, the only difference from their previous position was that now Gray sat facing the abashed girl.

"It doesn't matter! You're still an idiot for trying to use that magic," the blonde scolded not minding the proximity between their faces.

"I was scared…" he confessed looking down. "I was scared everyone would die here."

"That's not how we solve things, Gray. I thought you already knew that," Erza sternly protested.

"I'm sorry."

"It all ended well, so why don't we leave it in the past for now?" Wendy lightened their mood.

"That's right. Lucy, you take care of Gray, I'll go check on Natsu. It looks like he isn't awake up yet," Erza touched the boy's left shoulder with caution not to cause any unnecessary harm to the obvious sore spot. Wendy followed the older woman not wanting to interrupt anything else.

Alone, Gray and Lucy exchanged quick glances, both of them unsure of what to do or say next. Half minute went by in uncomfortable silence before Lucy chose to break it.

"I only did that to-"

"Thank you," Gray used his remaining hand to caress her companion's face. "If not for you, I'd be dead now. I owe you more than I can-"

"You owe me nothing," this time it was her turn to cup his cheeks with her hands staring straight into his orbs. "I know you would have done just the same for me."

"Lucy…" he felt his mouth trembling with insecurity.

"It's alright," she leaned forward closing the gap between their foreheads. Gray felt fingers infiltrating the hair on the back of his head. They grasped his locks pulling him in for another kiss.

Afraid of further interruptions, Lucy rushed the motion having her other hand join the action, still it seemed wrong to do something like this in haste, she wanted to take her time despite pretending it was part of her plan to save Gray.

At the other hand, Gray was caught off guard by the sudden display of affection. Not that it bothered him, but he would much prefer to have it without any excuses this time.

Their lips touched briefly a few times as if to make sure that was exactly what they wanted, and no regret would ever be caused by their next move.

They closed their eyes giving in to the sweet feeling overwhelming their senses. The kiss had no hint of sexuality. Instead, it was pure and packed by a feeling they didn't know how to name.

Not yet.

After their mission, team Natsu reunited at the guild to celebrate the victory. Fairy Tail became noisy as usual with chattering and lots of drinking, not to mention the little fights that never failed to break whenever those mages were together.

Adapting to his new reality was hard and the process was slow, but Gray was getting used to his deficiency.

"I'll have to train twice as much to improve my magic with one hand," he said to himself panting in one of his breaths taking training sessions.

Lucy spent most of her free time researching a subject she labeled as confidential. Her days would go by before she noticed it, and her friends often found her sleeping over a pile of books in the library.

Speaking of books, Lucy's first piece wasn't exactly a master one. She can still remember how joyful her days in Fairy Tail were, and how it reflected in her work, but after suffering a great _loss. _She lost her father in her seven years of absence, something she hasn't dealt with as easily as people believed her to.

After that she surrendered to fiction always looking for the perfect endings and avoiding tragedies. In time, her own conception of her new behavior started to change. She decided to _change _what she disliked instead of running away from it, and the dragon slaying mission unlocked several opportunities for her to practice her new designed self.

The kiss was not fully intentional, but the second one doesn't quite fit in the same category. Lucy knew she wouldn't be able to ignore what she felt for much longer, but she lacked the ability to describe what it was.

So, the day Gray offered himself to walk her home earning a frustrated look from Juvia, and a surprised one from Natsu, was the day she decided she would put a stop to her emotional disorder.

At Lucy's front door, Gray shyly waved goodbye before turning away to walk back home. He did not expect the sudden tug on the sleeve of his shirt.

"Come in. I need to show you something."

Gray followed the blonde inside her apartment noticing scattered books all over the place. She ordered him to take a seat on her bed and did the same soon afterwards. Picking up on of the books, Gray inspected its content.

"Anatomy… since when are you interested in these?" Asked the curious ice maker.

"Since you…" she stared down with her legs close together and her hands resting over her thighs, "…lost your arm."

"Really?" Gray chuckled lightly. "It's no big deal compared to what I would have lost if not for you."

"What if I said I found a way to restore it?" She informed feeling a wave of joy surging in her core when the boy at her side smiled from ear to ear.

"Are you serious about that?"

"Yes."

"You know, someone told me about fountain that can regenerate any body part under a certain condition," she raised a finger to emphasize the idea.

"Sure, tell me what needs to be done," Gray could barely contain his euphoria.

"First, you need to promise me you won't tell any of our friends about it," Lucy implied in a worried tone.

"Why? They'd be happy to know I'm recovering my arm."

"Because it's a bit more complicated than just that…" she finally revealed.

"Then go ahead and tell me what the complication is," the mixed sentiments of curiosity and concern gave Gray an appearance of naïve looking expression.

Lucy deposited both hands over Gray's lone one keeping a firm hold on it. "I promise you, you'll be fine," she waited for his mood to improve before letting a girlish giggle escape.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" Lucy replied shortly. When she perceived an arched brow on her friend's face, she gave up forcing her fake smile. "I just thought you'd be happier," Gray felt her delicate fingers curling around his hand.

"I-I am happy, more than I'm showing," he nervously avoided eye contact.

"Really?" The question came out so sweetly Gray had to hold back the urge to steal a kiss.

"Sure."

"You're doing more for me than I could ever ask from someone."

"Stop it…" Lucy fought back the blush, but it was already a lost fight. "Think about your words before releasing them so easily."

"Did I say something wrong?" Once again the boy wore a look of gullibility.

"No!" She jerked her hands away from his. "And put your shirt back on too!"

"What?! When did it happen?"

"Geez. Anyway, if you're really willing to recover your arm, then we must go now."

"Ok, but what's with the hurry?"

"I don't want any of our friends getting involved in this, that's why," with that Lucy stood drawing one of her keys and bringing forth her strongest spirit.

"Loki," the girl beamed.

"At your service," the spirit replied.

"Wait a second… what's going on here?" Gray rose to his feet trying to understand the situation.

Ignoring the ice mage, the blonde carried on her conversation with Loki. "Have you spoken to him?"

"Yes, he agreed. We should go as soon as possible," Loki fixed his glasses between his eyes.

"Who agreed? Where are we going to?" Gray's head overflew with questions.

"Alright, we're ready," the girl affirmed.

A glowing circle with a unorthodox pentagram in the middle formed on the apartment floor. Gray remembered seeing a similar drawing once.

"_Where have I seen this before?" _His mind wandered back to the past trying to find evidences of the strange circle.

"_That's right. I saw it when we travelled to the celestial…"_

A blink and everything around them was new. They arrived at the very beginning of the celestial realm.

There seemed to be countless small planets with complex buildings and vegetation. The structures and floor were colorful and had star ornaments on them. They also constantly liberated small bubbles. Everything was sparkly and shiny at the celestial realm. Crystals emerged from the ground along with some columns, and finally, a sole long path leading to the palace.

The trio was greeted by the celestial king who was already aware of their intention. "So this is the boy you were talking about. In fact he is one of our old friends. I have no arguments against your desires," the oversized spirit spoke with his deep voice.

"Thank you, celestial king," Lucy thanked holding her hands to her chest.

"Follow me, old friends."

And so, the walked along the rainbow colored path. With the exception of Loki, they had no idea of what awaited them. The king led them to an endless staircase at the main building where they had their party a few months ago.

"This is the place. This stairs should take you to the place you wish to visit, old friends. Is your will strong enough to reach the top?" After that, the king vanished leaving the mages in charge of making their decision.

"Loki! What's happening? Why did you bring me here?" Gray asked in annoyance.

"Be patient, you'll see soon. For now I need to get going," Loki disappeared as well.

"Gray… shall we go?" The girl asked. Her features were adorable; it was hard to neglect her.

"Ok, but will you explain-"

"I will… once we get there. Deal?" Lucy offered her friend a hand.

Sighing, Gray took the blonde's hand, and together they made their way upwards. Each step was fascinating. It's been a long time since they visited the celestial realm. The place was absolutely stunning, truly out of anything related to _reality_.

They walked holding hands having a hard time to concentrate on the end of the path. Their surroundings were hypnotizing. Lucy's hand twitched under Gray's earning the ice mage's attention.

"This place is beautiful, isn't it?" Asked Lucy.

"It is."

"I wouldn't mind living here for a while," she finished.

"Neither I."

They climbed in utter silence enjoying their sight and were at least two hundred meters high by now. Looking back at the other end of the staircase, all the objects were insignificant from the current perspective.

Destination was within reach. They could see an elegant fountain with star-shaped edges at its columns and tranquil water in its center. The liquid was transparent and very alluring. It reflected the faces of the two mages looking at it.

Around the fountain there was nothing but the unusual floor and spiraling trees. The sky was the dark universe filled with brilliant stars.

The only sound present was the one from irregular breathing and heartbeats becoming common as the time for conclusion closed in.

"Will you tell me now?" Gray insisted in a softer tone. He calmly waited for Lucy to speak.

"If you enter the fountain… your arm will heal," Lucy spoke with hints of regret in her voice.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm going," Gray scanned the water wondering what was so special about it, but when he was about to get into it, Lucy pulled him back. "Wait!" She seemed in pain. Gray carefully studied the girl's face.

"You can't wear any clothes when you go there."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Gray started to discard his celestial clothes unceremoniously. "Is it alright to take them off, Virgo told us we can access the celestial realm with these."

"Wait, you idiot. Let me turn around first," she hissed. "And yes… it's ok to take them off. Nothing will happen, but Gray…"

The boy glanced back waiting for Lucy to continue. "If you do that… you will…"

"What?" Gray grew anxious knowing it was all too good to be truth.

"You will…" Lucy cursed her own weakness for not allowing the ice mage to know the details before they made their way to the celestial realm. "…become a spirit."

He froze on his tracks, his priorities being reset, his fears starting to conquer him. Worse than living his life with a missing arm would be living at the celestial realm away from his friends forever.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" He controlled his voice trying to keep it down, but the anger slowly eroded his restrained side.

"Because… if you become a spirit, I'll be able to have your key, and carry you with me wherever I go. I know I was selfish and didn't think about you, but… would it be so bad?" Lucy's words were appealing and so was her face.

"When you have your body covered by the water, it will fade and only your spirit will remain," she finally gave away the last piece of information.

"Why?"

"Because…" Lucy closed her eyes suppressing the messy thoughts in her mind.

"Why, Lucy?"

"I love you."

"If I do this… I'll have to watch you and all the others die, and I'll have to live with that. I'll live in a parallel world distant from my friends. Do you think it's fair?"

"No."

She was asking too much and she knew it, but he would visit them from time to time. The fact that he was once human would surely grant him enchanted durability in his previous world. Besides, watching him struggle every day to keep up with the rest of the mages were destroying her, because she felt like him before, she felt weak and unable to compete with the others.

"Lucy."

She didn't respond.

"Lucy, listen to me."

Once again she chose to ignore it.

"Lucy!" This time he exclaimed, only then, he gained the girl's attention making her open her eyes.

"I love you too," said the ice mage from inside the fountain. His hair was wet meaning he had already taken his choice.

"Gray?" She covered her mouth with her hands when he waved at her using both upper limbs. "You did it…" judging by her state, it was hard to define whether she was sad or extremely happy, but she was crying, that was a fact.

Gray continued walking to the other side of the fountain in order to hop on the border and leave the comforting water. He reached the its edge, but the water continued to move and the splashing sounds became louder until he felt arms around his neck and warm skin pressed against his back.

"Did you just?"

"Yes… I want to be with you. _Forever," _The hold tightened. "I'll love you endlessly."

Gray turned to capture his girlfriend in a loving embrace. "I'll remember that," his arms snaked around her slender waist while hers encircled around his neck. "You won't need to; you'll be reminded every day."

He kissed her under the stars, pulling her closer by the minute, wanting to feel her scent invade and infect him. She tasted addictively sweet. He couldn't help but want more.

Lucy felt wanted like she never did before. It was good to feel desired, and she desired him just as much. Her tongue touched his once or twice before until the contact was uninterrupted.

They parted and held each other in their arms. Lucy rested her head on his chest, while he placed his chin on top of her head.

"You know…" said the blonde.

"Huh?"

"I wouldn't mind living here for a while."

"Neither I."

_Life doesn't have to be bitter all the time and reality is often not as good as fiction. Sometimes it's way better._

_My advice for those who fled from reality reading this book is to stop reading it right away and begin searching for the strength to live instead of reading about what makes you happy. _

_It might not be easy at the beginning, but with a little faith you can actually climb out of the surrounding abyss blurring your vision and limiting your potential to reach the clear sky, and smile to the fullest once again._

_Because the difference between the ones who stand higher and the ones who motionless watch the other's ascension is that remaining energy in their limbs to rise and keep moving forward._

_Lucy Heartfilia._

_No mountain nor sea._

_No thing of this world could keep us apart._

_Because this is not my world... you are_

_Author: unknown_

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**That's it.**

**It's 02:26 here and I'm just too lazy and sleepy to check vocabulary and spelling. There might be several mistakes. I'll do the correction by tomorrow when I'm in a better state, so try not to mind the mistakes until I'm done with the correction, Ok? : )**

**I hope you liked it, and I'd be glad if you left me a review or even p.m me telling what you thought about it.**


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